I've spent the past week indoors.  Needless to say, today was spent outside.  The snow is almost gone.  The sun was shining and the hiking trails were calling.

I've had some long work days and didn't have the opportunity to have a close look at the back yard until this morning.  There are some icy patches along the north side of the garage but the rest of the yard is almost dry.  It is almost ready for a good clean up.

That task was not on the to-do list today. I needed to go for a hike.  I've missed the fresh air and the sweet sounds of nature.  I drove to Elk Island National Park for some outdoor time.

The bison were out along the parkway.  Some were walking down the middle of the road while others grazed in the ditch.

Some ponds still have ice on their surface while others have open water.  Canada Geese and a number of ducks are inhabiting the open ones.

The park staff were busy destroying beaver dams.  Their vehicle was parked along in a ditch and I could hear the blasts.  On my way out of the park, the water was flowing so they were successful in their project.

I made my way to the Amisk Wuche trail.  There was a lot of action there today.  Most sections of the trail are dry but there are some small areas that still have some ice and snow.  

One small beaver pond was flowing over the trail.  Someone had constructed a make-shift log-walk that I had to balance on to keep my feet dry.

As I walked I could hear the trees creaking in the wind, the geese honking on the pond, the squirrels chattering in the treetops and the birds singing their spring songs in the evergreen boughs. 

I stopped to enjoy those beautiful sounds.  They were music to my ears.  As I listened to the natural choir, I noticed the juncos and boreal chickadees contributing their choruses.

A butterfly flitted in front of me, landing in a sunny location to soak up the rays.  I heard rustling in the long grass.  It took me a while to determine where the sound was coming from.  A busy muskrat was chewing on some new grass.

I spent two hours on the trail that usually takes about 45 minutes to hike.  There was so much to see and so much to hear.  I could not have asked for a better outdoor break than the one that I had this morning.